Traveling on through ... plus a few things (open

[Marnark’tranarprol]

Wow. Things seemed to be going awfully smoothly ... Honam couldn't help but hold his breath and wait for the other shoe to drop. There had to be a catch somewhere. But how far in was he going to get, before he found out just how far under he was? "Uh ... thanks?" He offered, a tad bewildered.

Honam did pay attention to everything that the rider said, however. While work and crafting was not really his thing - he much prefered doing whatever he felt like doing - information was his thing. While he may never cure a hide in his life, or make a single shoe, that did not mean he was not interested in picking up bits of info about such things. For one, it made one sound smarter ... and made one seem less like the wandering thief and scallywag he really was.

"How old are you?" Honam asked, out of curiosity, since the comment was dropped. "Have you always been here at the Weyr?" The remark about a bath derailed his thoughts again, though ... a bath did sound like a good idea. Especially considering a bath of any sort here in the Weyr was liable to be at least marginally heated. The last string of washes he'd undertaken (at long, sporadic intervals) had all been in icy mountain streams... not really the best thing to make baths an endearing activity. For sure, he was pretty crusty under his well-worn clothes. They needed a bath as badly as he did, from all the traveling he'd been doing.

"Any chance the bath is ... not cold?" Honam asked.

[Spirithawk]

P'rin laughed. "19 turns. I started the craft younger than most. My master pushed to get me tested for mastery young because he had nothing more to teach me. That caused quite a stir! I was holdbred, and then left home at 7 because I didn't want to be a farmer and my parents had too many children to really bother with me. My parents didn't even come to see me Impress Kilzanth. I wandered around a bit, most crafts wouldn't consider taking me, and then I saw this man working with hides, curing and dying them, and I was fascinated. He began speaking while he did it, explaining the process. Then he began asking me to hold things or stir in this, or stretch that. After a while, he offered me a meal and asked if I'd like to be a Tanner hall apprentice and learn under him until I was old enough to go to the Hall. I went to the hall when I was 10, and walked the tables when I was 14 and was set out under the supervision of my master. He was more of a father to me than my own and insisted that I take the chance when a dragon searched me."

He worked deftly as he spoke. He looked up, pale blue eyes amused when the lad asked if the bath was not cold. "We have a hot spring under the weyr that supplies all our hot water so unless you really want a cold bath, we have hot water. There is even hot water piped into the craftsmen's rooms. I have a bathing room in the corner over there. Your clothes will dry fast enough in the south and I think I might have a tunic you can borrow, though my pants will be too long for you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rhia had been listening to the conversation. Obviously, P'rin sensed something in the boy that made him like him so she decided to be helpful. "There are some pants in the storeroom that is just sitting there that you can have. They might be about your size. I'll go get them.

~~~~~~~~~~

P'rin smiled. With a hatching soon, the weyr needed Candidates. P'rin hoped to keep the boy here until Anassa returned. Her green had a knack at Searching. "There's some soap sand in there. I often have to clean up when I'm working because some of the dyes and stuff I use to cure stink worse than stewing numbweed! Help yourself."

[Marnark’tranarprol]

Honam looked over at Rhia for a moment, then back at P'rin as the rider kept working, listening to the tale and watching the work be done. This could be more interesting than he'd originally thought ... maybe?

But, oh, the talk of a bath distracted him again. "Oh, oh ... that's nice. I'll be taking you up on that one, then." He grinned a bit, before realizing they were talking about now. ... Did he really smell that bad? Or look that grungy? Well ... maybe. Hey, might as well, then. Grinning a bit at the prospects of being clean again, Honam made for the bath.

While he didn't necessarily linger to the bath, he certainly didn't hurry. The hot water felt so good, and really helped to get the ground in grime, grit, and well-layered oil off of him. Of course, by the time he was nice and clean, his hair was an absolute fro, it was so fluffy ... a far cry from the matted-down dirty grease pack it had been a mere hour ago. His clothes he washed, as well, unwilling to get rid of them just yet. They didn't have any revealing holes, so they were still good. They were donned again after he thoroughly wrung them out, unwilling to go traipsing around in his turnday suit in a Weyr. He'd heard all kinds of strange stories about such things in Weyrs ...

Holdbred as he was, it just didn't sit very well on his psyche.

[Spirithawk]

When Rhia entered the room again, she had a vest and a pair of hide pants over her arm. She saw the damp clothes on the boy and pursed her lips. She had more than enough of the mother in her and if her children tried to run around indoors with wet clothes she would have had them scooped up under her arm and hauled off to change in minutes.

She looked him over, making sure she wouldn't be sending him back into the bath himself. He certainly looked a lot cleaner though there was a smudge on the side of his nose.

"This won't do. Go right back in there and get out of those wet clothes. Didn't you hear P'rin say that they will dry quickly? We won't steal your clothes lad. I said I was going get some pants for you." She moved forward, intending to hustle him into P'rin's bathing room while the bronzerider looked on with an amused expression as he worked. Faranth knew that the brownrider had chided them enough times for silly things. Rhia reached up and wiped the smudge off on the side of his nose.

"You missed a spot." She told him. The auburn haired rider handed him the clothes. "Quit grinning and tell me where that tunic is P'rin."

~~~~~~~~~~

P'rin's grin didn't fade as he set his work down and strode to a chest across the room. He rummaged through the articles of clothing before coming up with a light tan tunic.

"I forgot I had this. I haven't fit this in a while. You should be able to fit it though." He held it up, eyeing the shirt against Honam. "Yes, this should fit nicely." He tossed it to Honam. "Best hurry lad or she'll change you herself."

[Marnark’tranarprol]

Honam blinked as he was veritably attacked by the woman. She seemed to have gone from incriminating hawk to a reincarnation of his mother in the blink of an eye. Wrinkling up his face as she smudged her thumb across it, he backed off a bit. "Oh." Was all he said, before taking the clothes thrust at him. Eyebrows ooching higher on his face, he gave P'rin a worried look at the threat of being changed. That ... didn't sound good. This was a Weyr, after all, and he'd heard all sorts of stories about Weyrs and the Riders that lived within.

Nodding, he hurried to do as bidden, to change into the new clothes. They were certainly better quality than the ones he had been wearing - if only because they were less worn through from continuous use and travel. Nice, nice. Very nice. Finally, dressed, and somewhat halfway dry, now, Honam re-emerged from the bath, padding around barefoot. This time he'd left his wet clothes behind, draped over things to possibly dry. It seemed he was going to be hanging around this particular weyr for awhile, so he wasn't terribly concerned.

But it sure was nice to feel like a human being again. Clean, somewhat dry, in good clothes, and the promise of new shoes. Wonderful! "Thank you ... both of you. I really appreciate this." He grinned a bit, shrugging to readjust how the tunic rested on him. "This is awesome."

He glanced at Rhia, and then looked over at P'rin. "Is that normal, for her?"

[Spirithawk]

Rhia checked him over again when he came out and nodded satisfaction. "Your clothes can be put outside to dry on the line off to the side, near the stables. They'll dry quick enough and no one will mess with them unless one of the drudges goes to take the clothing down. They'll just set them off to the side until they find their owner though so no worries about losing them."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

P'rin gave the lad a quick smile before bending to secure the hide in his capable hands to finish the stitch he was using to hold the bottom layers of tough hide together to make the base of the second boot. He would finish the first boot after he got this done on the second boot because he wanted the solution of hide glue he had put in addition to the stitching to dry. He didn't want the boots to fall apart and he didn't have the other kind of hide he wanted so he was making do.

"You're more than welcome. I wasn't using that tunic anyway, and I was once in your position until my Master took me in and taught me my trade."

You have me. You don't need a trade.

"Kil says I don't need a trade because I have him but it helps to be able to do two things you love. Besides, with all the leather this weyr goes through with harnesses, I couldn't give up tanning if I tried."

He laughed. "Yes. It is normal for her. She's our Weyrling Master and Candidate Master until we can find a new one to take her place for the Candidates. She's also a mother to 3 turn old twins. Don't worry, her bark is worse than her bite."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rhia glared at the rider. "Just because you're no longer a weyrling doesn't mean I can't get you put on latrine duty." She waggled her fingers at the bronzerider, trying not to crack a smile, but her eyes twinkled behind her glare, and her full mouth turned up in a smile.

"I'll leave you to it then. Good luck with your search Honam and stay out of trouble. I have some weyrlings to torture and some Candidates to scare." She flashed a grin and then sauntered out the room.

[Marnark’tranarprol]

Honam quietly nodded to Rhia's instructions, before silently observing the exchange between the two. Once Rhia left, though, he relaxed a bit, feeling more comfortable with P'rin than he had with Rhia ... she was too intuitive for his own good. Finding a semi clear spot to sit that looked safe for the sitting, Honam had himself a seat not too far from where P'rin was working. "Your dragon is young, then?" He asked, curiously. "How old do dragons get? Do they ever die of old age?"

It was questions that he didn't even know he had, much less wanted answered. But since he found himself not only in a Weyr, but actually talking to the occupants ... couldn't hurt, could it?

"What do you mean you used to be like me? You were looking for someone once?"

[Spirithawk]

"We aren't that long out of Weyrlinghood right now. He's 2 Turns old now. Dragons live as long as their riders do. If a rider dies, a dragon dies. No dragon has ever died of old age because usually the rider goes before the dragon. We don't know how old a dragon can get."

He started stitching the tops of the other boot on, satisfied that the glue was dry enough. His blue eyes were serious when he looked up at Honam's question.

"I was looking for myself, so yeah I guess you can say I was looking for someone. I had a lot of siblings and my parents didn't really pay much attention to me. I never wanted for any basic needs, but my father had my older brothers to take his place. After my sister was abandoned by her beau pregnant, I was even more of a shadow in the background. My parents didn't object when I said I wanted to find a craft. It was one less mouth to feed."

[Marnark’tranarprol]

No dragon ever died of old age. Now that was a sad statistic. Or was it? To never become old and feeble? Honam couldn't decide, resting elbows on knees as he watched the rhythmic work of the tanner-rider. He wondered what it was like, to be so good at something that you didn't necessarily have to watch what you were doing to get it done. Did it become like breathing and walking? Second nature? Just ... do it? It made Honam aware that he was very badly a generalist. He had no one skill that he could showcase as an identity... other than being pretty much holdless. And that ... was usually looked down on. Which was okay. It helped him to move on quicker, when there was not a kind face to be seen. Though he did kinda miss having a stable home.

But all that was in the past, long dead and gone. Faranth, by now his mother was either all better, or dead. Most likely dead.

"Wow. I never had any siblings. I never knew anyone but my mother. She sent me out to look for her brother, when she got sick a few turns ago. I don't even know if she's still alive anymore." Honam offered.

[Spirithawk]

P'rin finished one boot. "Try that on so I can see if I need to fix anything before I finish the other one." He stood, stretching his lanky frame. "I had too many siblings." He leaned backwards, working the kinks out of his back.

"I'm sorry to hear about your mother. Did you ever think to send a message to see what had become of her?" He waited to see if the boot fit or not. Once he knew either way, it didn't take him long to finish the other one. He checked them over one last time before handing them to the lad.

"There you go. That's done. It might take a little while to break them in so I'm going to give you some socks to keep your feet from getting blisters. Why don't you go get yourself a meal in the kitchens and let your clothes dry before you go on your way. I'm sure there might be a spare cot somewhere if you wish to rest before you leave as well."

He stood again and walked over to the same chest. He tossed the lad a pair of socks that weren't new, but not in bad shape either. There was a place that it had been mended, but it had been so deftly mended that it was hardly noticeable. "I'd give you another pair, but I always seem to lose mine." He flashed a crooked grin.

OOC: Sorry for gming it a bit...didn't want to keep dragging that part out.

[Marnark’tranarprol]

"What's it like, to have siblings?" Honam asked, as he tried on the boot. While he had it on, he wiggled his toes and grinned. Never having been from a well to do place, he really didn't know what a good fit was, one way or another. A shoe was either too small to get into, or too big to be practical. He'd had some of both. This, however, seemed to fit like a glove. Small discrepancies were of no concern to the lad. He'd worn worse. Far worse. Nodding his approval and gratitude, Honam took it off and handed it back, expecting that was what P'rin wanted him to do. He watched in fascination as the last of the pair took shape under skilled hands.

"Thanks. I think I'll do that." Honam grinned like a fool, catching the socks and looking at them breifly before wiggling his feet into them. My, but people in Weyrs were generous! Socks, a brand new set of pants, a tunic! And boots! Brand new boots made just for him! Now that was awesome if there ever was such a thing. A hot bath, food, a place to sleep ... and all apparently free! Fantastic! Honam couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. Food ... he didn't even particularly care if it was hot food. But fresh food was a nice luxury ... especially when he didn't have to chase it down and stab it to death first...

"Where do I find the meal, if I may ask?"